Maya Angelou once said, “At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.”

I remember the bliss I felt the day my college coach taught me an invaluable lesson; if you want to learn how to do anything well in life, teach it.

Although I have forgotten a lot in the 22 years since that encounter, I remember these things because they are behind my passion for coaching the game of basketball and teaching character development that goes beyond the court.

Elite coaches represent themselves first as genuine humanitarians, they seek to better the lives of others and second as developers of competitors. They always find a way to effectively communicate a positive perspective. They go beyond training the mind and body; they influence the soul.

Exceptional coaches teach more than how to be nimble and execute plays. They form the cornerstone of their player’s personal belief systems. Some use passionate words of encouragement. Others use a style that makes you stretch your mind by using an uncomfortable in-your-face approach. My experience with the latter type of coach taught me to concentrate on the content of the coach’s message rather than the tone.

Take personal responsibility and hold players accountable for their actions.

Routinely find new ways to help players improve.

Treat everyone fairly but not the same.

Expect excellence from themselves and others at every performance.

The impact my little league football coaches had on me is unforgettable and I recall those feelings to this day. Coach Bubba called me “Flutie” because I could throw the football far like the NFL star. Coach Big O taught me how to be “nice-ty” by playing with an edge on the field and being a gentleman off the field. These coaches always brightened my day and left me feeling empowered. In my book, My Attack Planner, they are perfect examples of exceptional coaches.

Now in my own 5th Quarter, which is coaching basketball, my number one priority is to impart wisdom to my players. Every lesson I teach is meant to evoke positive feelings and actions from my players.

I make it my daily mission to reach at least one player so they may experience the same powerful feelings I did as a young athlete. As I always remind my players, “Sometimes you win and sometimes you learn. But as long as you pay it forward you never lose!”

– Coach Charlie Miller

By the way, I am also a lead camp instructor for Breakthrough Basketball.

If you share my belief that you can coach positively, and at the same time, demand great effort and great attitude, I highly advise you check out Breakthrough Basketball Camps!

Social Media gets criticized greatly. In reality, social media is an amazing tool for athletes when used the right way! It is important to educate younger athletes on how to use social media to learn, grow and be a positive influence on others.

Posts on social media are public and are seen by teammates, fans, opponents, and coaches. It is in the public and anyone can get a hold of these posts. Many athletes don’t realize that the content posted on the internet can last forever. Content can be captured in screenshots or saved by other users. Social media and all of your profiles are like your personal digital resume. College coaches absolutely love this because it doesn’t take them very long to see if they want to continue recruiting a player.

Scholarships are not given from what’s posted, but a scholarship can be LOST quickly on derogatory or negative posts from prospects. There are plenty of stories where student-athletes lost scholarship opportunities or have faced legal charges because they posted something inappropriate.

Here are five tips to keep in mind when posting on social media:

#1 No DRAMA!!!!

If you have drama on your social media accounts, a coach can go ahead and assume that you will bring drama to their program. NO coach wants that! So be sure to leave your drama off your accounts. Plus handling your drama over the internet is not healthy.

Unfortunately, I see this from grown adults as well. You have a problem, don’t tweet about it, don’t post a subtle picture on IG, or write a passive-aggressive status on FB. If you need to, pick up your phone and call them or set up a time to meet them in person and handle your problems in the old fashion way. The internet and social media are no place to have your drama.

#2 Show Your Passion

Show what you are passionate about. For athletes, this one can be easy. Posting about how much you love your sport is a great idea. Coaches will eat that up!

You can also post about other things you are passionate about. That lets coaches and other people get to know the real you. Remember this is your digital resume! But you need to also realize that spending too much time on social media can give college coaches the impression that you don’t spend enough time on the important stuff in your life.

#3 Show Gratitude

Show gratitude for your fans, teammates, coaches, trainers, family, friends, etc. This is always a good idea. Coaches like to have players with High Character. I know multiple coaches who look for High Character players when recruiting. Obviously they want you to be skilled, but beyond that, they are looking for the intangibles.

One way to show your character is by using social media as a great platform to let others know that you appreciate them. It’s a win-win. Others get recognized publicly and you are perceived in a good light.

#4 Don’t Criticize (or Remain Positive, Especially After Adversity)

Don’t criticize teammates, coaches, fans, parents, opposing teams, refs, etc. Again this is an insight into your true character. So, after close defeats or poor individual performances, you will have negative remarks directed at you through social media. Avoid falling into the trap of responding and instead, focus on how the temporary setback can be turned into a positive one.

#5 Show Support of Others

Student-athletes can provide a positive example for other students by sending positive messages about their peers in other sports or activities at school. Even after a tough loss, congratulating the opposition shows a lot of character.

There’s a common theme here…be POSITIVE. That will take you so far in life!

Here a three rules to put in place to make sure you use social media in a positive way:

Don’t Use Social Media When You Are Highly Emotional

If you are in a negative emotional state and want to post something that isn’t positive then I recommend sleeping on it. Allow a good night of sleep to get your emotions under control.

Pause Before You Post

If it is something that you don’t feel good about in your gut , then don’t do it. Take a moment to think about the consequences of the post. If you can’t live with these consequences then don’t post it.

Don’t Share What You Would Not Want Mom or Dad to Read

If you feel that your mom, dad or grandma would be disappointed to read it then don’t put it out there.

Please, don’t use social media in a way that can cost you an opportunity that you will regret for the rest of your life!

Also, if you’d like to learn more about the intangible qualities and develop basketball skills that help players excel, check out our Breakthrough Basketball Camp Schedule. There are different camps for all ages and skill levels across North America.

In basketball, like in life, mistakes are unavoidable. As much as we would like to escape them, they’re going to happen. The teams that make the fewest mistakes, the majority of the time win.

Occasionally, teams that make a lot of them win. How so? They don’t chase them.

Instead, they replace the mistakes by pursuing the greatness that inevitably comes behind them.

As a coach, I see mistakes as experiments; they give us opportunities to improve, whether that is in team practice or individual workout sessions. All in, we get chances to create positive outcomes to help us grow above and beyond together as coach and player.

Coach Dean Smith, Hall of Fame Head Coach at the University of North Carolina for 36 years said this about mistakes, “What do you do with a mistake: recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it.”

This is a great reminder to us all in pursuit of becoming the best version of ourselves. I share Coach Smith’s impactful words with the players that allow me to coach them by introducing them to Mr. R.A.L.F.

Recognize –

In basketball, there are only five players per team on the court at one time, so it is easy to identify which player made the mistake. I’ve seen both sides of the spectrum from coaches when players make mistakes.

Some coaches will bring up your mistake so often that it creates resentment in the player and a lack of desire to play to their top abilities. This coaching tactic also generally drives down the team morale and sucks the fun out of the game.

The other side I’ve experienced is when coaches encourage their players through mistakes. This is done by using the Sandwich Approach (positive-negative-positive).

This approach begins with acknowledging the player’s effort and intent of doing their best (start with a positive note). Then, the mistake is brought up to collaborate on possible upgrades so the player can avoid repeating the same mistake (bring up the negative event). Finally, decide on a couple of best practices to implement if the same situation arises in the future (end on a positive note).

Admit –

Ownership and accountability do not equal “finger-pointing” blame and shame!!!

Don’t automatically spout off the infamous “my bad” or other default expressions like this. Why? Because most of the time we don’t really mean those words, we are just using them to avoid criticism or judgment from a coach or teammate.

Instead, express accountability by saying what Coach K, another current Hall of Fame Head Coach from Duke, teaches his players, “Next Play.” Simple and to the point.

Concentrating on what’s next gives each player an opportunity to see what’s happening now vs having their vision clouded by the mistakes of the past.

Learn –

This is the practical side to correcting mistakes, including finding ways to work on them in practice through repetitive on-court drills, studying and watching film.

Remember, this is not the time to berate or remind players of their mistakes.

Practices should create an environment of empowerment and collaborative growth opportunities.

If you can achieve this, players will look forward to coming and giving their all as they know they have a voice and will yearn to grow both for themselves and for the betterment of the team.

Forget –

The most successful people in the world have this in common…they are good at forgetting.

I remember listening to Warren Buffet discuss how he became a standout businessperson and investor. He stays present and he doesn’t bring up what happened yesterday. In other words, he does not live in the past. He stays current on what’s in front of him now.

The key for me to truly forget and not chase mistakes is through forgiveness, which is my bonus tip.

In order to chase greatness, we must find a way to forgive ourselves for making mistakes. Let’s face it, we don’t go out each day looking to make mistakes, they just happen. And guess what? That’s OK!!

I remember times as a player where I would try so hard to not make any mistakes that I avoided any playmaking situations.

That cost me dearly as there were constant fear and frustration that lingered from not playing up to my potential. Fast forward to the present day, and as a coach, I go above and beyond to ensure my players have room to make mistakes.

In fact, the more mistakes they make, keeping RALF in mind, the more they start to sharpen their awareness and play.

It’s a beautiful thing to see players play with courage and passion because they know they have room to grow.

So, in every aspect of life, keep Mr. R.A.L.F. in mind and give yourself the grace to continue onto the “Next Play!”

– Coach Charlie Miller

By the way, if you share my belief that you can coach positively, and at the same time, demand great effort and great attitude, I highly advise you check out Breakthrough Basketball Camps!

This is what attracted me to Breakthrough Basketball and motivated me to become a lead camp instructor.

It was the unique ability to create an environment with a laser-like focus on maximizing skill development while still impacting young athletes beyond the game of basketball by teaching character, mentality, confidence, leadership, and much more!

You can find hundreds of camps across North America for youth and high school players. You can search by state as well. Spots are also limited for each camp to ensure high quality instruction.

Coaching basketball over the last 25 years, I have witnessed quite a few parents mistakenly view their parenting success based on their child’s sports success.

It was hard for me to understand why parents would compete with each other over the sports accomplishments of their children. It didn’t make any sense to me how their pride and ego could cause them to act foolish and make poor decisions for their children.

I would visit with some parents about it and they would respond back saying, “Wait til you have children of your own.” In my mind I believed that I would be different than the other parents.

Well, God has blessed me with 2 wonderful boys, Kaden (7 years old) and Grayson (4 years old). Currently, they are both too young to be playing competitive sports.

But I will tell you I now understand the desire to have your children succeed in an activity and through it being looked at as a successful parent.

Unfortunately, as parents, we often invest in short-term happiness at the expense of long-term growth.

For example, when we help our children avoid childhood discomforts now, we keep them from developing skills needed to handle future pain or suffering. Instead, we need to teach coping skills and resilience necessary to bounce back from life’s inevitable setbacks.

My prospective got back on track after reading this quote:

“Your kid’s success or lack of success in sports does not indicate what kind of parent you are. But having an athlete that is coachable, respectful, a great teammate, mentally tough, resilient, and who tries their best is a direct reflection of your parenting.” (Unknown)

This is why I coach! To make kids better on and off the court through the sport of basketball.

The sport is the carrot to teach life skills and character traits that will allow them to handle whatever life throws at them and still succeed.

This reinforced that I need to take that same coaching approach and use it as a parent to help my children learn invaluable lessons through sports that will prepare them for life.

As a parent, I can’t get wrapped up on what team they are on, their statistics, their awards and trophies to view my success. I need to stay laser focused on allowing the sports to be a great teacher to instill positive habits that will be beneficial throughout their lives.

This will instill positive character traits and life skills to last a lifetime for your child:

Let It Be Your Child’s Experience: In order to do so, we must acknowledge that we can’t control the experience of our child…that is why it is called an experience. When we experience something we will have good times and bad times, great moments and average plays, we will deal with victory and defeat…allow your child to experience these highs and lows in sport which will allow them to deal with the ups and downs of life…If we try to control the experience our child is not being prepared for life.

Focus on The Process: Sports like life are a process and we need to attack the process every day to grow and get better. The process is hard work, knowledge, attitude, perspective, teamwork, coachability, dealing with success and failure. Winning will only be the by product in sports and in life.

Encourage Your Child to Take Responsibility: Teach your child early on not to pass the blame or make excuses, but to take responsibility for their actions.

Let Your Child Solve Their Own Problems: There is much to be gained in learning how to solve problems as there is in solving the problems themselves. Your child should know that you’re always there for them, and that they can call on you when needed, but give them the opportunity to learn to solve their own problems.

Allow Them to Learn Through Consequences: Sometimes the best thing that can happen is to make a big mistake and live with the consequences. However, it’s often the case that the mistakes we make as children have fewer long-range effects than things we screw up when we get older. So, it is better to learn from smaller mistakes while we’re young.

Embrace and Understand That Failure is Inevitable: Failure is a prerequisite to success. No One accomplishes anything great if he or she is afraid to fail. In failure, children learn how to struggle with adversity and how to confront fear. By reflecting on failure, children begin to see how to correct themselves and then try again with better results.

I know it can be tough to look at the long-range goals when you get wrapped up in the emotions of your child.

But we need to not lose sight of the need to ingrain the positive character traits and life skills that will enable your child to successfully navigate through life on their own as they get old enough to leave your home.

That is the mindset you need to develop on how you view success as a parent.

The value is not in the medals and trophies that will collect dust and eventually be thrown out or left behind. The ultimate value is “WHO WE BECOME THROUGH THE SPORT!”

We wanted to provide an avenue where camp coaches were hyper-focused on developing your children’s basketball skills, confidence, and mindset. While we love basketball and are very serious about developing better players, our goal is to impact your children’s lives way beyond basketball…

Take a look if you’re interested and please forward to other coaches and parents who might be interested. We’d love for you to join the 65,000+ players who have attended since 2012.

Developing A Practice Plan

How To Develop A Winning Practice Plan With Coach Willie Williams

Coach Willie Williams has had a lot of success coaching college basketball. He has been named NCCAA Region Coach of The Year 3 times. He has also led Nebraska Christian College to the national tournament 3 years. Coach Williams will tell you on reason for his success is being to able implement effective practice plans and drills that help his players develop throughout the season.

Coach Williams takes you through his vision of how to go about creating your own basketball practice plans that will help your players buy into your program. Along with this, he explains how he adapts practices throughout the season based on what part of the season you are in.

Coach Williams passes along valuable first hand experiences of what has worked well and not worked so well in practice. Along with this he talks about the pros of filming practices, charting practice stats, and working daily on man to man principles in defensive shell drills. Williams provides invaluable insight for coaches who want to get the most out of their practices.

Tips For Coaching Your Own Kids

How To Coach and Navigate Your Child Through Youth Basketball

Coach Carl Scales has had the privilege of coaching his own children in basketball. While coaching your own kids can a rewarding experience, many will tell you that there are lots of headaches along the way.

Dealing with parents can be especially tricky when you are coaching your own child. Coach Scales recommends having open, honest discussions with parents. Along with this, he seeks out feedback from parents on ways he can improve as a coach.

Coach Scales offers helpful advice and tips for coaching your children. These tips include: when to talk to your kids about their performance, how to make workouts fun, and allowing kids to choose the activities they are involved in.

Having been through the trials and tribulation that come along with coaching your own kids, Coach Scales offers sage advice for others. Whether coaching your children in youth basketball or any other sport, Carl Scales helps you navigate this path to make it a rewarding experience for everyone.

After ten years of prepping himself as an assistant coach, at MidAmerica Nazarene University and Washburn University, Matt Keeley takes over as head coach for the OUAZ Men’s Basketball program.

Coach Keeley was blessed to work for two college coaching legends during his time as an assistant. He was fortunate to assist Rocky Lamar and Bob Chipman. The both of them have combined for over 1,500 wins, have won National Championships and have been in multiple Final Fours.

He has been granted the opportunity to build a college program from scratch. This will be the inaugural season for the OUAZ Men’s Basketball program. Coach Keeley is excited to take everything he has learned from being a successful assistant coach and an All-American point guard to this endeavor.

In his interview, Coach Keeley will give you his formula to develop a successful culture from scratch. You will learn how he evaluates prospective student-athletes to help build and maintain the culture. You will find out what are the 3 things that are being focused on and off the floor to instill success. As well Coach Keeley gives tips on how to show toughness in the game of basketball and much more…

Enjoy this episode of The Jim Huber Show!

What You will Hear In This Podcast

1:02- Steps that Coach Keeley is taking to build the program from scratch

2:43- How to sell an upstart program to a potential recruit and parent

3:54- Coach Keeley’s keys to developing a successful culture

7:15- How to identify the players that will be instrumental in building a legacy

This podcast looks at the benefits of Dr. Dish and Pro Skills Trainer Jefferson Mason makes the case for Dr. Dish supremacy in the basketball skill development world.

Jefferson Mason had great success as a basketball player. He spent 2 ½ years at the NCAA Division I level, was named a Division II All-American and played professionally overseas and in the D-League. He has taken his basketball pedigree to Dr. Dish where he serves as their Training Specialist and Business Development Manager.

In his interview, Coach Mason will give you strategies that he uses to focus on complete basketball training. He explains the differences between Dr. Dish vs the Gun. You will understand how the Dr. Dish system helps to create more game like situations in the workouts. Coach Mason goes over their recently developed Skill Builder which allows coaches to select or create complete workouts and much more…

Enjoy this episode of The Jim Huber Show!

What You will Hear In This Podcast

3:03- Getting to know Coach Mason

4:08- What are the unique advantages that Dr. Dish has vs The Gun?

7:15- How Dr. Dish has the flexibility to move the net system for different age groups or to work on different shots close to the basket

8:10- Ways that Dr. Dish system can be used inside or outside

10:33- Becoming a complete trainer is the most effective way to developing players

11:37- How to develop game like situations in your skill development workouts

Northwest Missouri State Head Coach Ben McCollum has developed the “BearCat Way” culture over the last 8 years. That culture has contributed in winning the 2017 NCAA DII Men’s Basketball Championship (35-1), three Sweet 16 finishes and five MIAA regular season titles. During that time, Coach McCollum has been named Clarence “Big House” Gaines National Coach of the Year and three time MIAA coach of the year.

In his interview, Coach McCollum will give you the successful strategies he has implemented at Northwest Missouri State. You will learn how he evaluates if a prospective student-athlete will have the right character traits to succeed in their program. You will find out how Coach McCollum doesn’t allow negative energy to enter his program, how he gets his players to “Impose their Will” on a daily basis and much more…

Enjoy this episode of The Jim Huber Show!

What You will Hear In This Podcast

1:24- What is the BearCat Way at NWMSU?

2:50- How Coach McCollum evaluates to make sure a player is the right fit

4:54- No bad attitudes and negative energy tolerated in the program

8:30- Justin Pitts going from barely recruited to NCAA DII Player of the Year

12:31- The motto “Impose Your Will” is infused in their program on a daily basis

14:04- How freshman Ryan Welty shot 67% from the 3 point line

16:55- “Don’t shoot it because you are open, shoot it because it is a great Shot”

18:16- The ways that Coach McCollum communicates what is a great shot for each player

20:48- Coach McCollum’s 3 second rule on discussing mistakes with his players

21:52- How Coach McCollum uses practices to develop a great defensive team

Texas Tech Head Coach Chris Beard’s coaching style was honed under Bobby Knight, and it has made him one of the top up and coming coaches in the nation. He has amassed a 189-64 record and 23 victories per season over his eight seasons as a head coach. His previous stops include Fort Scott Community College, Seminole State College, McMurry University, Angelo State and Little Rock.

In his interview, Coach Beard will give you lessons he learned from Hall of Fame Coach Bobby Knight, a simple strategy to help your teams win on the road, his successful process that he emphasizes at Texas Tech, how to build relationships with your players, ways to get your team to value the basketball and take great shots, and much more…. There is a lot of beneficial information for coaches, parents and players that coach Beard discusses throughout the show.